Modi calls for focusing on social hygiene

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, mentioning that India has always focused on personal hygiene, said on Friday that it should now focus on social hygiene as well.

“Cleanliness is basically a habit and once you imbibe this habit then you will never tolerate dirt,” Modi said after giving away the ‘Safaigiri’ awards 2015.

“In our country, personal hygiene has been a focus, but social hygiene is an issue. People are very cautious about personal hygiene. But we have been not giving much importance to social hygiene,” he said adding, “we now have to give importance to social hygiene.”

The awards have been instituted by the India Today Group to identify individuals or institutions in 13 categories to award them for their inspiring work.

Modi said since independence Indians have always thought the government has to do everything “but this has to change now.”

“Swachch Bharat programme will never be successful it is taken as the government or Modi’s programme. This has to be our programme,” he said.

“I have taken this risk (of launching the programme) and I think there can be no bigger inspiration than Mahatma Gandhi for this. Since the country gained independence the parliament has never discussed cleanliness. But since the last year, there has been no session where it has not been discussed,” he added.

Stressing that India embraced many religions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that every religion flourished in India.

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi says that India is a land of many religions.

“Every religion found life here, it grew here. Every Indian is proud of this virtue, no matter what language he speaks, no matter what religion he practices,” the Prime Minister said at a conference on ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation’ in the presence of Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

“Be it, Buddha or Mahatma Gandhi, the fragrance of peace and love has spread across the world from India. India has given the idea of ‘Vasudev Kutumbakam’ — which means that the whole world is our family. India found its identity in considering the people of this world as their family.

Narendra Modi says that Indians celebrate all festivals with same level of jest.

“We will be celebrating Holi tomorrow, there will be a celebration of Buddha Jayanti, that will be followed by the month of Ramzan — a symbol of the country’s unity and diversity.” IANS